Friday, 4 September 2009

Credit to a fellow member of the 'OWC' website for what I believe should be the new flag that finally differentiates us from the rest of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

The old 'Ulster Banner' quite simply didn't have the appeal to all sides of Northern Ireland's very much divided community. With this flag I believe it can represent something, every citizen of this great little country of ours, can relate to. Especially at Northern Ireland football matches. With all that green seen on match-day's within the ground it would be a great idea to include the colour in our future flag. Add the 'St Patrick's Cross'. And while we're at it, stick in the Red Hand of Ulster within the six-sided star (of St David) representing the six counties that make up 'Norn Iron'.

Certainly I would welcome YOUR views on the flag.

What's your first impression?

What's your second one?

Do you think it is representative of Northern Ireland?

Would you prefer it with/without the crown?

Can you relate to it?

Would you be proud of it?

What were your views of the previous official flag of Northern Ireland - the 'Ulster Banner'?

13 comments:

Not bad.. The Crown on top of course will be a bone of contention. And some will object to NI again nicking the Ulster Red Hand. The way round that one is to remind pedants it's an O'Neill emblem and an English defined province needn't have exclusive rights to it. After all, Georgia in the Caucuses shares the St George emblem with England. Why not take a leaf from the PSNI and put the Crown and Harp on opposite sides near the meeting point of the cross, with a slightly thinner diagonal?

(1) I don't see the need for a flag just for northeastern Ireland. There already is one which adaquetly reflects the intentions of the statelets designers. (If it appears not to have full cross-political support, that's because it doesn't) (2) There's a crown ... unionist. (3) There's something with 6 sides on it ... partitionist. (4) Those who think that flags are important can fly whatever ones currently in use. We do not need to add more to their repetoire. (5) There is generally neither public nor political support for such an idea. (6) The "silent majority" want rid of flags of all shades and colours, not merely to fly a supposedly "neutral" one.

I personally think that it could make due...but the crown and the red hand of Ulster would have to go. Those symbols are only really used by a majority of unionists leaving the only nationalist symbol on there the green color.

I think that for a new flag for Northern Ireland to be accepted it can not use any of the traditional symbols, and must come up with new, shared symbols that recognize the entire country as ONE...not a amalgam of symbols from each separate side.

That was my initial reaction to it also. But then again I quite like the inclusiveness of the RIR flag. The harp, the crown, the green, red & blue background. That's the Glentoran, Linfield & Cliftonville support all satisfied in one go*

For All you UN-EDUCATED people the whole purpose of the tri-colour is to represent both sides of the community, "Green" representing the nationalist community, "Orange" representing the Unionist community and the "White" is there to signify peace between both sides of the community in the North Of Ireland so what is the need to create a different version of a flag that already exists